


Working Her Way to the Top

by Alisanne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-10
Updated: 2008-02-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 02:45:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1923804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alisanne/pseuds/Alisanne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ambitious Hermione finds that her goals coincide perfectly with those of a very unexpected person.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Working Her Way to the Top

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shiv5468](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiv5468/gifts).



Title: Working Her Way to the Top  
Author: [](http://alisanne.insanejournal.com/profile)[](http://alisanne.insanejournal.com/)**alisanne**  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Hermione Granger, (Harry/Ginny, Harry/Snape, Ron/Lavender implied)  
Summary: An ambitious Hermione finds that her goals coincide perfectly with those of a very unexpected person.  
Word Count: ~5400  
Genre: Drama, romance.  
Warnings: AU, evil!Ron, Het! *watches everyone flee*  
A/N: Written as my entry to this round of the [](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/luciusfqf/profile)[**luciusfqf**](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/luciusfqf/) for the prompt: "Lucius Malfoy has been taken down a peg or two. Back working at The Ministry, he finds that he's been demoted and his new boss is none other than …" Dedicated to my friend [](http://shiv5468.insanejournal.com/profile)[](http://shiv5468.insanejournal.com/)**shiv5468**. She is the only person I would have attempted to write this pairing for.  
Beta: [](http://sevfan.insanejournal.com/profile)[](http://sevfan.insanejournal.com/)**sevfan**  
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

  
~

Working Her Way to the Top

~

“No way!” Ron roared. “You can’t, Hermione. I won't allow it!”

Hermione's demeanour, already cool, grew icy. “When have I ever given you the impression that you control my actions, Ronald?” she asked quietly.

Ron flushed and backed off. "I'm not trying to control you,” he said more quietly. “I'm just worried. It's Lucius bloody Malfoy for Merlin's sake! How they can do this to you is beyond me. I'll go have a chat with--"

"I'm well aware of who it is," Hermione interrupted, rising abruptly from her seat. "And you'll do no such thing. I control my career, Ron. Not you, and certainly not Harry."

"But I bet if he asked for them to reassign Malfoy, they would--"

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said, clearly exasperated. "It's not as though I plan to become _friends_ with the man! I'm simply to be his supervisor. Are you saying that you don't think I can handle him?" She added the last silkily, smiling slightly as Ron paled.

"You'd better not be 'handling him'," Ron muttered. “Supervisor or no.”

She raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Look, do you really think this is a good career move? It's clear to me that the only reason they did this was so that they could use you to get back at Malfoy. And who says he'll even work for you? That evil git will probably refuse to have anything to do with you because you're Muggle-born."

"Then it will be his funeral, won't it?" Hermione said. "He'll be the one who shall have to retire in disgrace. And I repeat. Are you implying that I can't manage Malfoy? That I'm incapable? Must we discuss the fact that magical power is not dependent on sex _again_ , Ronald?"

"Sex!? Ew. How can you say the word sex and Malfoy in the same sentence without puking?"

"Sex as in gender," Hermione all but growled, clearly at the end of her tether. "Dear gods, Ron, are you being deliberately obtuse?"

"I'm just worried," Ron said stubbornly. "And I thought you were planning on retiring soon, anyway."

"Why should I retire? I am on my way up in the Ministry."

"Well, we can't both be on the career path," Ron said, beginning to pace. "I mean I always assumed you would give up your job when it got close to the time to, you know, get married."

Hermione leaned forward. "And do you think you’re close to that time?" she asked.

"What? No!" Ron's eyes widened as he realized what he'd blurted. "I mean I thought we would take more time to decide on some things--"

"Like whether or not you're interested in me at all?" Hermione asked quietly. "Is that why you're dating Lavender again?"

"How did you...?" Ron shook his head. "It was just a few times. She wanted to talk to me about some problems she's been having at St. Mungo's and we did it over dinner."

“And it was so complicated you needed six dinners to discuss it?" She held up her hand as Ron opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not angry," she said. "I just think it's telling us that we should both consider dating other people. I mean we were seventeen and in a war when we thought we would get married. Twenty-five is a lot different than seventeen."

“Harry and Ginny--”

“Are not dating exclusively either,” Hermione said. “She's seeing both Dean and Seamus in addition to Harry, remember?”

Ron shrugged uncomfortably. “I really try not to keep track of my sister’s love life,” he said primly.

“You’d need an Arithmancy degree to do so,” Hermione muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. Anyway, my point is, my career is important to me. To that end I am going to take this assignment and do my best, no matter why they gave it to me.”

“I just hate to see you fail so spectacularly,” Ron said.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for your concern,” she said. “But when have I ever failed at anything?” She crossed her arms.

“This could be the first time.”

Hermione huffed. “Then I’ll just have to take that chance. I am doing this, though. Now, unless there’s something else...?”

“Seriously, Hermione,” Ron said, a pleading note entering his voice, “I really think you should reconsider...”

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them both turn their heads. Lucius Malfoy, looking impeccable, was standing at the door. His face was blank yet somehow he managed to convey the impression of superior amusement. “Am I interrupting something? I can return another time...”

“No!” Hermione said forcefully. Unfortunately, since Ron chose that moment to say “Yes!” the result was a bit garbled.

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

Hermione glared at Ron. “Come in, Lord Malfoy,” she said, gesturing towards a chair in front of her desk. “Mr. Weasley was just leaving.”

Ron crossed his arms as if he intended to argue even more, but just then Dean Thomas stuck his head around the door. “Oh, there you are, Weasley. Shacklebolt wants to see us. Hey, Hermione!”

Hermione nodded politely at Dean, who just then realized who was in her office. He made a face in the general direction of Lucius, and Hermione’s eyes grew cold. “Was there anything else you needed, Thomas?” she asked.

Taken aback at her formality, Dean shook his head. “Er, no, Granger. C’mon, Weasley, we’d better go.”

Trapped by circumstances, Ron chewed his lip for a moment before finally nodding and walking past Lucius. “Just watch yourself,” he muttered in the blond’s general direction. Unfortunately, it was just loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

“Ronald!” Hermione was clearly scandalized.

Shooting a final nasty look at Lucius, Ron stomped out. He deliberately left the door open, but Hermione solved that handily enough with a wordless, wandless Slamming Charm that had the added advantage of making a satisfying crash as it almost smacked Ron in the arse. His muffled yelp made her smile for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face Lucius, who had been clearly watching the events unfold with interest. “Sorry about that,” she murmured, walking back around to sit behind her desk. “I apologize for his awful behaviour.”

He waved a hand expansively. “Indeed, I am quite accustomed to attracting unwanted attention these days,” he said dryly. “He was pleasant compared to some.”

She sighed. “Yes, I imagine you are used to some measure of notoriety. It is unfortunate it happened here, however.” Tapping her fingers on the desk, she looked at him squarely. “So you are to work with me, I understand.”

“That is my understanding as well.”

Hermione inclined her head. “My first question is, why? Why would you want to?”

He sat back in the chair, looking entirely comfortable. “Let us be clear. I am to work _for_ you, Miss Granger,” he said. “It was spelled out in the contract that I was offered and, shall we say, strongly encouraged to sign.”

Hermione’s eyes narrowed and she leaned forward. “Do you mean they forced you into this?” she asked. “That’s illegal.”

Lucius smiled, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. “My dear, there was no overt force involved. I was just... encouraged. It was made clear to me that should I not accept this assignment, I would not be in any position socially or otherwise, to accept any others.” He shrugged. “Thus, I accepted.”

“But that’s not fair at all...”

“Fair?” He shook his head. “Madam, the concept of life being fair is a peculiarly Gryffindor idea, I suspect. It is certainly far from the minds of every child the moment he or she is Sorted into the house of snakes. I imagine that you are aware of the bias that plagues our world.”

She had the grace to look ashamed. “I understand that it happens, but it’s still not right.”

He inclined his head. “House prejudice is not relevant to our current discussion, however,” he said. “At the moment we should be negotiating what my job entails and what it will take for me to fulfil your requirements.”

Hermione pursed her lips, deciding that she could be honest with him. “Lord Malfoy, let me share something with you. I want to succeed in this position. It is important to me and I think I’m good at it.”

“I have heard that, Miss Granger.”

“Apparently there is some question as to whether or not our collaboration can be successful,” she continued. “I have heard that many are betting that you’ll refuse to work with me because of my non-magical roots. And there are others counting on my refusing to work with you because of your role in the war.”

His face looked stony. “Indeed.”

“Help me to prove them wrong,” she said.

A smirk crossed his lips. “What do you propose?”

“I propose that we work towards becoming the most successful team this Ministry has ever seen.”

“And what is in it for me?”

Ready for that question, Hermione smirked. “The clearing of the Malfoy family name. Right now you are seen as either a man who is extraordinarily unlucky and susceptible to the Imperius Curse, or one who chose the wrong side and managed to buy his way out of it. Now you have the chance to be known as a man on the right side.”

“Brightest witch of the age they call you,” Lucius murmured. “I can see why.”

Hermione allowed herself a tight smile. “Then we have an agreement?” she asked.

He nodded. “It appears so.”

Exhaling the breath she had been holding, Hermione reached into a drawer and pulled out the folder Kingsley had handed her only that morning. “Excellent, then let’s get started, shall we?”

~

Lucius proved to be a good partner, and, despite the expectations of most of her co-workers, their cases were generally swiftly solved. At first Hermione thought they were being given easy cases until she did a bit of research and found that quite the opposite: they were being given cases that had remained unsolved for years.

They’d even tracked down a copy of the rare _Ancient Witchcraft, Magic and Alchemy_ , the theft of which Hermione, with her reverence for books, had taken quite personally. Turning it over to the collection Aurors had given her a pang, actually.

She learned a lot those first few weeks, everything from tandem duelling to some interesting ways of tracking and capturing suspects. Lucius’ knowledge of magical theory rivalled even Snape’s she suspected.

And Merlin but the man was handsome. She found herself noticing him, the fit of his robes and way he handled his wand making her speculate more than once about what it would be like to be with him.

Narcissa Malfoy was no longer in the picture she knew. Apparently the strain that the war had placed on their relationship had been irreversible, and soon after Hermione had gone back to complete her seventh year at Hogwarts, they had divorced. Not that she had cared much then, but now she was wondering more and more whether he had companionship. If he did he was discreet about it as she never heard a whisper of scandal associated with him. Of course, he was trying to redeem his name, and tawdry affairs with random women would not be the best for that purpose.

She learned something new from him just about every day, and when she asked him the source of his expertise, he cited the Malfoy family library, and it was all she could do not to invite herself over to see it. _And perhaps him_ , her mind supplied.

More disturbing to her than this odd rapport she was developing with Lucius Malfoy, however, was just how little she cared that Ron was upset with her. He even sent Ginny to talk to her, only Hermione ended up counselling her about her failed relationship with Harry. The fact that she thought Snape suited Harry much better than Ginny did, she kept to herself.

It all came to a head one night when she least expected it, of course.

They had gone to Manchester to follow up on a lead for a band of criminals who had been terrorizing the local townspeople. Clearly they were magical as they’d been leaving traces of hexes all over the place. Somehow they managed to elude the other Auror teams and, in a fit of desperation, Hermione and Lucius had been deployed.

After an entire day of cold trails, however, they decided to return and investigate some other leads back at the Ministry. It had only been chance that took them past a pub where they sensed seepage of enormous amounts of magic.

“Tandem,” Lucius murmured as they approached the door.

Hermione nodded. She may have been the team leader, but she definitely deferred to him in matters of duelling.

Bursting in, they surveyed the scene. A group of about twenty Muggles had been trussed up and were watching wide-eyed as the criminals levitated their loot out the back door.

“ _Stupefy! Incarcerous! Immobulus!_ ”

They went in, wands blazing, and three wizards were immediately stunned and trussed up. One of the bags of money fell onto the ground, making a loud thud.

Hermione dematerialized, re-forming behind the theif who came sprinting out of the back room.

“ _Avad--_!”

Lucius executed a complex wand manoeuvre that had the man’s legs give out from under him and sent his lethal spell ricocheting harmlessly off a table.

Hermione relaxed. “That’s apparently all of them,” she said. “We make a good team.”

Executing a wordless Levitating Spell to collect the criminals, Lucius inclined his head. “Indeed, we do,” he said.

“One last thing,” Hermione murmured. Turning towards the Muggles, she smiled. “Right, let’s take care of you all, then, shall we? _Obliviate_!”

It had only taken a little persuasion to make the Muggles believe that a gas leak had caused them all to lose consciousness and misplace several minutes, and since nothing was disturbed or taken, Hermione was hailed as a heroine. She was careful to obliterate all traces of magic before she joined Lucius in the next street.

“I Portkeyed them back,” he said before she asked. “Callahan confirmed their arrival.”

She nodded. “And another successful mission,” she said. “I have one question.”

He raised an expectant eyebrow.

“You used a Jelly-Legs Jinx?” she chortled.

By the time they got back to the Ministry and Hermione’s office, they were in good spirits. Hermione's eyes were sparkling as she opened the door to her office. “As I said, I have never seen a Jelly-legs jinx used like that before,” she tossed over her shoulder, chuckling. “That thief never knew what hit him.”

"I have over the years come up with many unique takes on standard spells," Lucius replied. "It comes from having to be quite inventive. Slytherins are, you know, in all areas of life."

Blushing at the innuendo, Hermione began to answer, but just then she realized they were not alone. Someone was standing in her office and she almost hexed them before realizing who it was. She really needed to change her wards. "Ron? Why are you in my office?"

"I thought we could talk," he said, glaring back and forth between Hermione and Lucius. "It's been at least a couple of months since we had dinner."

Hermione blinked. "Talk?” She sighed. It probably was time they did clear the air. “I suppose so," she said. Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to talk now, though? Is something wrong, did something happen?"

"Not specifically, and what do you mean ‘why now’?" Ron narrowed his eyes. "Is now a bad time? I thought we were friends. I didn’t think I needed an appointment."

"Well, it appears you have business. See you tomorrow, Miss Granger." Lucius gallantly bent over Hermione's hand, brushing a kiss onto the knuckles before inclining his head towards Ron. "Weasley."

Ron simply scowled and Hermione, with a sigh, said, "Yes, Lord Malfoy. Tomorrow morning at nine?"

He nodded, and when he left, she turned towards Ron. "It wouldn't kill you to be polite, you know."

Ron rolled his eyes. “To that berk? Why? All he is is a--”

“Stop. He’s on staff here and you’d do well to remember that he's been enormously helpful in rounding up several cells of criminals.”

"Well sure he has," Ron said sarcastically. "It’s not as if that’s difficult. All he probably needs to do is call up his old friends and ask them where they are!"

"Was there a specific reason you came here tonight, or was it just to try to upset me?" Hermione asked through gritted teeth.

Ron held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I thought we could go to that fancy French place all the birds like,” he said. “You know, have a nice dinner, catch up a bit...”

“I would have assumed you'd have plans with Lavender,” Hermione said a bit snidely. “What's the matter? Things not going well?”

She hardly expected an answer, but Ron's flush, and his silence, told her all she needed to know. “Dear Merlin. That's it, isn't it? You two have had a row and now I'm to be her stand-in.”

“Not her stand-in, exactly.” Ron looked defensive.

Hermione shook her head. “No matter. I'm afraid I have plans this evening.” She looked away, hoping the lie sounded convincing.

“But I've had the reservations for ages!” Ron cried. “They make you pay for the meal ahead, you know.”

“Yes, I'd heard that. Well if you've no one to go with, maybe Ginny would like the reservation. I imagine whoever she's dating would enjoy it.”

“No way!” Ron sputtered indignantly. “I paid for that reservation, I’m bloody well going to enjoy it, not my sister, not any of my brothers. Me! Plus, it’s almost guaranteed to get me shagged!”

“Not by me.”

“Why? Too busy shagging ex-Death Eaters?” Ron clapped his hand over his mouth as he said it. “Merlin, Hermione, I didn’t mean...”

She held up a hand, barely controlling her temper. “Yes, you did mean it,” she said coldly. “And do you know what, Ronald? I don’t care what you think. And my answer stands. I am not going anywhere with you.”

Making a frustrated noise, Ron slammed out, leaving her staring at her door.

Hermione buried her face in her hands. _I am not upset_ , she told herself, ignoring the burning behind her eyes. _He was just being a prat._ A prat who could likely still get a date tonight, whereas she was left fantasizing about ex-Death Eaters...

With a smothered oath, she pushed away from the desk, and, grabbing her purse, started towards the door. The Ministry was deserted but for the night staff, several of whom waved as she headed for the hall of Floos.

As she neared them, however, her footsteps faltered when a shadow detached itself from the wall. "Who is that?" she said, wand at her fingertips, proud that her voice was steady.

Lucius, looking very relaxed, stepped away from the alcove he’d been in and held up empty hands. "Just I, Miss Granger. I see your dinner plans appear to have fallen through."

“Were you waiting for me?" His silence was confirmation. "But why?"

“A gentleman never abandons a lady to fend for herself," he said, moving closer. “I was concerned that you get home safely.”

“Ron may have been angry but he would never hurt me.”

“Indeed?” Lucius smiled unpleasantly. “I never make assumptions, my dear.”

“He wouldn’t.” She shook her head, able to see that she was unlikely to change his mind. “Right, so what if I had gone with him?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Then I would have remained concealed and left once you had. However, since you had the excellent taste not to go with him, perhaps I may offer you an alternate plan for this evening?”

"What sort of plan?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"So young to be so suspicious," Lucius muttered.

"A result of the perilous times we live in," Hermione replied dryly. "What is your proposition?"

Lucius smirked. "Ah, such a loaded word. Well, I am on my way to Malfoy Manor for dinner, and the elves do tend to make far too much for one person..."

"I don't know--"

"You've mentioned wanting to have a look at the Malfoy library," Lucius reminded her, face bland.

She smiled, recognizing his ploy but finding herself charmed nonetheless. "That I have." Chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, she finally nodded firmly. "Very well. Thank you, Lord Malfoy. I would be pleased to dine with you this evening."

As they Flooed away together, neither one saw the hidden figure watching them from the shadows.

~

"This was lovely.” Hermione put down her fork and heaved a sated sigh. “Absolutely delicious.”

Lucius smiled. “Yet I hear hesitancy in your voice,” he said. “Was something amiss?”

She coloured and stopped speaking as the house-elves cleared away the dishes and brought afters. “You'll forgive me if this all appears a bit too convenient," she continued a few minutes later as they sipped after-dinner drinks. "Especially for a spontaneous meal. This all seems to have been prepared well in advance to my accepting your invitation. Were you that sure of my response?"

"Ah.” Lucius shook his head. “Do not think that you are predictable, my dear Miss Granger. The beauty of having house-elves is that one can be prepared for visitors at the drop of a hat." Leaning back, he continued. "And surely you cannot be surprised at a Slytherin who is prepared for all contingencies?"

“I suppose I shouldn't be.” She took another sip of port, astounded at how well it complemented the chocolate torte. A part of her couldn't help but think that even if she'd gone to dinner with Ron, her meal could not possibly have been better than the one served her tonight. _Not to mention the company._

"No pleas for me to release my elves?" Lucius' eyes danced as he dabbed at his mouth delicately with the napkin.

She shrugged, not surprised that he knew about her efforts on behalf of elves. "I have discovered that there are some battles worth fighting. This is not one of them. At least, not yet." She smiled sweetly. “After all, I imagine it’s uncomfortable enough being under me at the Ministry. I should hardly presume to dictate to you in your own home.”

Lucius smiled wickedly. “Narcissa certainly never tried to be on top,” he murmured. “Still, it may be a novelty.”

Hermione blushed. “You said something about a tour of your library..."

He inclined his head. "Indeed, let us retire there."

As she’d expected, the library was impressive, probably more complete than even the one at Hogwarts. As she stood gaping at the collection, Hermione knew she was getting a bit giddy but she couldn’t help it, especially when she spotted several rare spell books. He jaw dropped.

“Is that... Oh my! You own a copy of Encyclopaedia Arts Magica? And dear Merlin, it looks to be a first edition! But I thought all known editions were under lock and key.”

Lucius smiled and took her arm, leading her over to it. “It _is_ under lock and key,” he said. “Not just anyone can stroll in here and peruse it, you know, only those with a special invitation.”

But she wasn’t listening. She was too engrossed in examining the ancient tomes, exclaiming as she found other books that she’d only seen referenced.

“Perhaps we should have started here,” Lucius murmured. “Although how could I have known? Normally a pretty young witch appreciates a good dinner more than musty old books.”

Hermione shot a look at him. “Do I strike you as a normal witch?” Then, she blinked. “Wait, you think I’m pretty?”

“My dear Miss Granger. Malfoys do not tolerate companions who are not their match in looks and wit.”

Straightening up, Hermione shook her head. “I’ll thank you not to mock me. And you should call me Hermione. We are colleagues.”

Lucius moved so swiftly he was almost a blur. She gasped a moment later when he was pressed intimately against her. “You’re accusing me of lying, _Hermione_?” he asked silkily. Grasping her chin and turning her head, he said, “Look. Tell me what you see.”

Hermione’s mouth fell open as she looked at their reflection in a mirror. Facing her were two people she barely recognized. Lucius, his eyes blazing, was feral, the cascade of his loose hair providing the perfect foil for her riotous curls. They looked stunning together.

“We’re...” She trailed off.

“Alluring,” he purred. “Mesmerizing. Tempting.”

She could have stopped him at any time she knew, but watching him dip his head and kiss her neck seemed to paralyze her. She closed her eyes as his lips touched her skin, a sigh escaping.

“We shouldn’t,” she moaned even as she tilted her head to the side in a wordless plea for more.

“Is that Auror Granger speaking?” Lucius murmured as he continued spreading kisses across her jaw. “Or is it Hermione, the beautiful woman I have in my arms?”

Hermione swallowed hard, then wondered why she was fighting this so furiously. The man was the stuff of her dreams. Pushing back against him, she managed to manoeuvre him up against one of the walls of stacks, smiling at the shock that momentarily crossed his face.

Leaning close, she purred, “I am the woman who is going to make you forget your name, _Lucius_.”

Lucius smirked. “It takes a lot to make me do that,” he said. “But I trust that if anyone can, it’s you.” With that, he held her close. A moment later they were gone, the sharp crack they left lingering behind causing a small book that had been teetering on the edge of a table to fall with a soft thud to the floor.

~

Hermione inspected herself one more time before picking up her robes. To her surprise, leaving Malfoy Manor in the early morning hours hadn’t been that awkward, although she was still dreading her first sign of Lucius at the Ministry that morning.

_We’re consenting adults_ , she reminded herself for about the tenth time. _The sex was fun, and it was what I wanted._ Nodding at her reflection she walked to the Floo and went to work.

“Hermione!”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Ronald?” she muttered as he jogged up next to her.

“Look, I’m sorry about last night. I know I was really wrong...”

As Ron prattled on, Hermione tried to look as though she was paying attention even as she scanned for Lucius. The door to his office was open, but... She squinted. Were there Aurors coming out?

“Excuse me,” she murmured vaguely. Pushing her way into Lucius’ office, Hermione frowned.

Lucius, looking coldly furious, was there, arms crossed. With him were several Ministry workers who seemed to be searching the place quite thoroughly. “What’s going on?” Hermione asked, shocked to see the normally neat office in such shambles, parchments scattered all over the floor.

“One moment, Auror Granger,” an older man said, looking up and recognizing her.

“Tavendish?”

“This is an investigation, I’m afraid.” The man looked apologetic for a moment.

“An investigation of what?”

“Hermione, can I speak with--”

She waved him off. “Hush, Ron, not now.”

“Actually,” Tavendish said, staring at Ron, “Weasley is probably the perfect one to tell you what’s happening. He gave us the tip.”

“Tip?” Hermione glared at Ron. “What did you do?”

“Can we not discuss this here?” Ron looked nervous, apparently realizing that Hermione was in no mood for evasions. “Can’t we go to your office?”

“No.” Folding her arms across her chest, Hermione tapped her foot. “I think you should just tell me here and now.”

“I found something,” one of the other Aurors said, holding up a book he’d recovered from the desk. Hermione peered at it.

“That’s the copy of _Ancient Witchcraft, Magic and Alchemy_ we tracked down a few months ago,” she said. “Why would you need that, Lu-- Lord Malfoy?”

Lucius looked grim, just like the men who were searching his office. “I cannot imagine what I would need with such a book, Auror Granger,” he replied stonily.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ron said, stepping forward. “He probably wants to research ways to bring Voldemort back or something.”

“But that makes no sense,” Hermione said, thinking back to Lucius’ extensive collection of exotic books. “In fact--”

“Sure it does,” Ron interrupted. “Isn’t that supposed to be a book on Dark magic? It makes perfect sense that Malfoy would want it.”

“The magic in it isn’t forbidden, but this is a rare book and it was clearly nicked from the evidence room,” Tavendish said. “Lord Malfoy, come with me. We need to investigate this a bit more.”

“Lucius?” Hermione allowed a bit of worry to creep into her voice.

Lucius stared at Hermione meaningfully for a long moment before allowing himself to be led away quietly.

“Wow, so it’s lucky we discovered that he’s up to no good, eh?” Ron said. “Now maybe you’ll believe me when I tell you things. You may be book smart, ’Mione, but when it comes to gits like that, you’re a Puffskein.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes. “I guess so,” she said, letting the irritating shortening of her name go without comment. “That was nice of you to want to protect me. How did you know he did that, though?”

“Oh, I’ve been watching him,” Ron said, puffing out his chest. “He was flirting with you, and when I saw you two leave together last night, I knew I had to be sure you learned the truth about him.”

“You were watching us?” Hermione stepped back discreetly. “Why would you do that?”

“Because he’s an arrogant bastard who should be in Azkaban!” Ron snapped. “Why does no one see that? All those Slytherin bastards should be. Harry doesn’t even see it. Did you know Harry’s actually dating Snape?”

“I... No, I didn’t.”

“Well he is,” Ron growled. “I have to take care of him next, make sure the lot of them end up behind stone walls.”

“I see. You’re determined to see that happen, though, no matter what, aren’t you?” she asked quietly, nodding in what she hoped was a sympathetic way.

He smiled and Hermione sighed at the fanatical light in his eyes. “You finally see!” he breathed. “Thank Merlin! That bastard was determined to make everyone think he’s changed, but he hasn’t. And he was after you, so I couldn’t let him have you.”

“So you planted the book in his desk,” Hermione said.

“Yeah,” Ron said, chuckling. “I did it last night after he left with you. It was easy, too. Silly sod should have put up wards or something, but he didn’t, so I took advantage. He’s not the only sneaky one you know.”

Fingering her wand, Hermione nodded. “So I see,” she replied. “I’m so sorry, Ron.”

“What, for doubting me?” Ron shook his head. “No worries--”

“Not that,” she interrupted. “For this. _Stupefy! Incarcerous!_

As he collapsed onto the floor, bound in ropes, she leaned over. “You’re wrong, Ron. Everyone deserves a chance, even him. I’m sorry you can’t see that.”

It was the work of only a few minutes to alert the Aurors and have them remove Ron. Her memory of Ron’s confession was enough to assure Lucius’ immediate release with a full apology, and so it was that Hermione found herself once more at Malfoy Manor, this time with no expectation of having to leave in the middle of the night. She’d been instructed to bring enough for the weekend and she’d complied.

And as she rode Lucius to ecstasy that night, she reflected on her good fortune that Narcissa never appreciated the joys of being on top. It seemed it was the perfect position for her, however.

~


End file.
